Everett stuck



E. STUCK.

sEcnoNAL CABINET.

' APPLICATION FIKLED JUNE I3, 1914. Patented 1,

2 SHEETS-SHEET I 1.5 ii .f 2 wbt/wwwa:

E. STUCK.

SECTIONAL CABINET. APPLICATION r1LED1uNE13.19|4.

Patented July 1, 1919 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 EVERETT STCK, 0F SYRACUYSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE O. M. EDWARDS COMPANY, INC., 0F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A vCORPORA'IIIION 0F NEVI' YORK.

sEoTIoNAL CANNET.

Specication of Letters Patent. i

Patented July 1, 1919.

Application led June 13, 1914. Serial No. 844,910.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EVERETT STUCK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Sectional Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sectional cabinets or cases, and particularly to sheet metal filing cabinets, and has for its object a particularly simple and efficient arrangement by which the units of the cabinet are locked together; and the invention consists in the novell features of construction hereinafter set forth and claimed.

' In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figures 1 and 2 are front and rear elevations, respectively, of four units joined together, Fig. 1 being partly broken away, and a drawer being removed from one of the units.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of two units of this cabinet, the upper unit being shown as partly placed in interlocking relation with the lower unit.

`Fig. 1l is .an enlarged detail view illustrating the hooks of one unit interlocking with the flange of the lengthwise angle iron bar of the next lower unit.

lThis sectional cabinet includes, generally, units having means which interlock by a horizontal sliding movement of one unit relatively to the other, and additional means which interlock by a vertical movement after the first means 'have been interlocked. The means which interlock by a horizontal sliding movement is located at the rear ends of the units and locks one unit with the adjoining unitvin the next ltier and with the adjoining unit in the next column, but in the same tier when there is more than one column, and the means which interlock by a vertical movement .is located at 'the front ends of the units and holds each unit from horizontal displacement relatively to the unit of the next tier and also relatively to the unit in the next column, but in the same tier when there is more than one column. Said means. may also be used to lock the uni-ts to 4suitable bases'or to lock caps in position, the bases and caps being practically units.v y

1 and 2 designate units arranged in columns, one upon the other, and 3 and 1 are units arranged side by. side with the units 1, 2 and secured thereto, the drawer being removed from the unit 4.

Each of the units `is formed of sheet metal and comprises a frame including lengthwise angleiron bars 5 located at the four corners thereof, vertical side strips 6 and 7 at the front and rear ends of the angle iron bars 5, a top plate 8 and front and rear cross-strips 9, 10 connecting the lower ends of the strips 6, 7, all the parts of the frame being secured together in any suitable manner, as by spot welding. The angleiron bars 5 are arranged with their `flanges in vertical and horizontal posit-ions and form guides for the sheet metal drawers 11, which may be of any suitable construction.

The rear cross-strip 10 of each unit is in the form of an angleiron having one fiange arranged in horizontal position and extending forwardly and resting at its ends on the horizontal fianges of the lower bars 5, said cross-strip having its other flange 12 extending upwardly and vertically and having portions, as its end portions, split to form tongues 13 which are bent rearwardly, downwardly and forwardly into a position opposed to the underside of the horizontal flange and thereby forming hooks, which face forwardly at opposite ends of the strip 10 and which are arranged to receive rear edges of the horizontal flange 5 of the upper angleiron bar 5 of the next lower unit, as clearly seen in Fig. 4. The interlocking of the hooks 13 with the fianges 5u of the angleiron 5 is brought about by a. forward sliding movement of the upper section 2 or 1 on the lower section 1 or 3.

This tongue 13 and the flange 5 constitute means which interlock by a horizontal sliding movement of one unit relatively to the other to interlock one unit with the adjoining unit of the next tier. Each of the side strips 6 at the front end of each the upper unit after the hooks 13 have been interlocked with the flanges 5a. The lugs 15 and slots 14 constitute means which interlock by a vertical movement of Vone section relatively to the other to lock one unit lagainst horizontal displacement relatively to the adjoining unit of the next tier.v

Each strip /7 at the rear end of yone side of each unit is formed with an open-ended slot l'opening through the rear edge of said strip while the strip 7 on the other side of the unit, or the opposing side of the next unit, is formed with an offset Itongue 17 having a transverse portion 18 for entering the open end of the slot and a flange portion 19l movement of one unit which means locksV with the adjoining unit in the next column ibut in the same tier.

Each strip 6 on one side of each unit is also formed with a slot 20 and offset tongue 21, while the strip 6 on the other side of the unit, or on the opposing side of the next unit, is formed with a slot 22 and an offset tongue 23. The offset tongue 21 projects from the bottom of one slot 20 while the tongue 23 on the opposing side p-rojects from the top of the slot 22 in said opposing side. Hence, the tongues 21 and 23 are complemental to each other, and during vertical movement of the front end 0f one unit, as the upper unit, the tongue 23 will enter the slot 20 and Ithe tongue 21 will enter the slot 22 and hence the tongues 21 and 23 lwill interlock during the vertical movement, which vertical movement will bring the lu-g 15 of the same unit intothe slot 14 of the unit of the next lower tier. The olfset tongues 21 and 23 constitute means which interlock during the vertical movement of one unit to lock each unit with the next unit in the sam l tier.

In operation, the lowermost units are placed upon a suitable lbase and may be attached thereto 1n any suitable manner, or by means similar to the hooks 13 and the` notches and the tongues 14, 15. The unit 2 is then lp-laced on the unit 1 and the hooks l13 interlocked with the flanges 5a and the lugs 15 interlocked with the slots 14 of the unit 1, Iby a successive forward movement of the unit and vertical movement of the front end sive horizontal movement of the section 3 and the vertical movement of the front end thereof. The section 4 is then placed on the section'3 and the hooks 13 thereof are interlocked with lthe flange 5a of the section 3, and the tongue 17 interlocked with the slots 16l of the section 2 by a forward sliding movement of the section 4 and the section 4 is interlocked at its front end with the seotion 3 and with the section 2 by the vertical movement of the front end of the section 4.

What I claim is i 1. A sectional cabinet including units arranged to be placed one upon the other in columns and side by side in tiers, each unit having means for interlocking with the unit of the next tier of the samevcolumn and with the unit of the same tier in the next column by a sliding movement in a horizontal direction, and each unit also having additional means for interlocking by a vertical movement with the adjacent unit inV the next -column and in the same tier, substantially as andl for the purpose described.

2. A sectional cabinet comprising units, each including a frame comprising a crossbar in the form of an angleiron yarranged with its flanges in vertical and horizontal position, the vertical flange extending upwardly and being formed with a tongue struck therefrom and bent downwardly, rearwardly and forwardly into a position under and opposed yto the horizontal flange, and each u nit being formed with means at the rear end ofits top for receiving the hook of the next upper unit, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A sectional cabinet comprising units, each unit including a frame comprising lengthwise bars at its upper corners and a transverse bar at the lower rear end of the frame, the bar being in the form of an angleiron arranged with one flange thereof in horizontal position and extending forwardly and the other in vertical position and extending upwardly, the vertical flange. having tongues struck therefrom and bent rearwardly, downwardly and forwardly into a position under and opposed to the horizontal flange, thereby forming hooks for hooking over the rea-r ends of the bars of the adjoining unit, by a forward movement of the unit provided with the hooks, substantially as and -for the purpose specified.

4. A sheet metal sectional cabinet comprising units, each unit including a frame lhaving lengthwise angleiron bars at its corners,l upright strips at their vertical front corners, a top plate and a crossbar at the lower or rear end of each unit, the cross strip being in the form of an angleiron mounted on the rear ends of the two lower lengthwise angleiron bars and having one Hange extended forwardly and horizontally and the other upwardly and vertically, the

-.vertical flange having tongues struck therefrom which are bent rearwardly, downwardly and forwardly into a positlon under and opposed to the horizontal flange formin hooks, for interlocking with the rear en s of the upper lengthwise angleiron bars of the adjoining unit, andv each. vertical strip at the front end of each unit having a notch and tongue at 'its opposite ends respectively, the notchof the strip of one unit being arranged to receive the tongue of the corresponding strip of the next unit when the hooks and flanges of the units are interlocked by a horizontal movement of one of the units, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. A sectional cabinet -including units arranged to be placed side by side, the units havlng means on their side 'faces arranged to be brought into interlocking engagement by a horizontal sliding movementof onel section, the ortion of said means on each section whic coacts with the other section projecting into the plane of the sidewall of the other section, and'means arranged to be brought into interlocking engagement by a vertical movement of one section after the former means have been interlocked, snub-4 stantially .as and for the purpose set forth. 6. A sectional filing cabinet comprising units arranged to be located vside by side, each unit havin an Ao en-ended slot at the rear end of one o its si e walls, and the other having an offset tongue including a transverse and a vertical portion arranged to enter the slot by a forward movement and interlock with the ortion of the side wall provided with sai slot, substantially as and for the purpose described. i,

7. A sectional cabinet comprisin units arranged to be located side by si e, the units having oppositely arranged tongues on their opposin sides arranged to interlock by a vertica movement of one of the units the tongues on each of said opposing sides being offset therefrom andprojecting into 4the plane of the other of said :opposing sides whereby the sides lie latwise against each other when the ton ues are interlocked, substantially as and or the purpose specified.

8. A sectional cabinet comprising units designed to be placed side by side, one unit having an open-ended-slot in one side and at the rear end thereof, and the other having an offset tongue'at its rear end including atransverse and a vertical portion, and the units havin0' slots in their opposing sides near their ront ends, and oppositely disposed offset vertical tongues, the tongue of one unit projecting upwardly from the lower end of its slot and the tongue of the other unit projecting downwardly from the upper end of the slot in 'such other unit, the slot and tongue at the reai ends of the units interlocking by a forward movement of one of the units and the offset tongue interlocking by a vertical movement of the front end of one of the units after the tongue and slot at the rear ends of the units have been interlocked, substantially as and for the purpose described.

9. A sectional filing cabinet including units designed to be mounted one upon the other and side by side, the units of each tier having means which interlock with the unit of the next tier by a horizontal sliding movement, and the units of each tier having means which interlock with the adjoining unit of the same tier by the horizontal sliding movement which interlocks the first inentioned means of the units substantially as and for the purpose specified.

10. A sectional cabinet including units arranged to be placed one upon the other in columns and to be placed side by side in tiers, each unit having means at one end for interlocking with the unit of the next tier and with the unit in the next column and inl the same tier by a forward sliding movement, and means at its other end for interlocking with the adjacent unit of the same column and in the next tier, and means for interlocking with the unit in the next column, but in the same tier, by a vertical movement of the said other end of the unit after the` interlocking means at the rear ends of the units have been engaged, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto 2 signed my name, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York,

" this 22nd day of May, 1914.

EVERETT STCK. Witnesses:

A. E. JONES,

J. GLAzIER. 

